2012 Audi Q5 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Audi Q5 over 15 years — 0 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Q5 years here — under the median of the other years, which is 6. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Fuel pump, Inflator, and Sunroof.

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Structure (2 of 4), then Air bags (1) and Engine (1).

Next to 2013

The 2013 Q5 has 92 complaints, 7 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Audi Q5. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (6)

Recall Fuel pump 2018-11-19 · NHTSA campaign 18V818000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2007-2012 Audi Q7 and 2009-2012 Audi Q5 vehicles, previously repaired under NHTSA recall 16V-660. These vehicles were previously repaired with an interim repair of installing butyl tape to the fuel pump flange, until replacement remedy parts became available.

Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump flange and install butyl tape, free of charge. The recall began December 28, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20BJ.

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2018-01-30 · NHTSA campaign 18V082000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2006-2013 Audi A3, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2008 RS4 Cabriolet, 2009-2012 Q5, and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet and S5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R6. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.

Recall visibility, sunroof 2017-01-03 · NHTSA campaign 17V001000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Audi Q5 vehicles. The sunroof drainage system may allow water to soak into the foam surrounding the side head air bag inflator canister resulting in the corrosion of the canister. If this happens, the corrosion can weaken the canister and the inflator could fracture without air bag deployment, propelling fragments into the passenger compartment, striking and causing serious injury to vehicle occupants.

Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator and either coat it or replace it, as necessary, after removing the surrounding foam, free of charge. The recall is expected to began March 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69P1.

Recall Fuel pump 2016-09-13 · NHTSA campaign 16V660000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Audi Q5, and 2007-2012 Audi Q7 vehicles equipped with gasoline engines. The fuel pump flange on the affected vehicles may crack, allowing fuel to leak.

Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the flange, replacing any flanges that are cracked. If the flange is not cracked, dealers will clean the pump flange and install a butyl rubber band to protect the pump. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20W9.

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2016-02-10 · NHTSA campaign 16V078000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Recall visibility, sunroof 2012-06-28 · NHTSA campaign 12V299000

Summary VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 AUDI Q5 VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 21, 2011, THROUGH DECEMBER 9, 2011. SOME VEHICLES MAY BE EQUIPPED WITH A FRONT SUNROOF GLASS PANEL THAT IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO BREAKAGE IN EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER/TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS.

Remedy VOLKSWAGEN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUNROOF GLASS PANEL, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 7, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AUDI AT 1-800-253-2834.

Complaints by component (4 total)

Structure

Air bags

Engine

Fuel and propulsion system

Suspension

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The vehicle sunroof exploded. On March 10th at approximately 12:15pm, while driving down the road from my residence in my 2012 Audi Q5, the sunroof blew up, without warning, causing shattered glass to fall inside the…"
Structure · filed 2025-10-02
"The oil has been leaking for some years. I have taken it in several times, to be fixed and it is still leaking"
Unknown or other, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2025-09-04
"The contact owns a 2012 Audi Q5. The contact purchased the vehicle at an auction, and while leaving the auction site and driving 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. No…"
Engine · filed 2025-08-11

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2012 Audi Q5 SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Q5	3.2L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	18	23	20 MPG	$4000
Q5	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	20	27	22 MPG	$3650

Specs and fitment

8R Q5, 2012–2017

Body styles SUV

Oil 5W-30 full synthetic (common 2.0T fills; other engines may differ) , 5.3 qt capacity

Tire size 235/60R18 to 255/45R20 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 17V-298 covers certain 2013-2017 Audi Q5 gasoline vehicles (with Q7 in the same campaign): the fuel-pump flange may crack and leak fuel; dealers replace cracked flanges or apply protective film. Campaign 17V-001 covers certain 2011-2017 Q5 vehicles where sunroof drain water can soak foam around the side head-air-bag inflator and corrode the canister so it can rupture; dealers inspect and coat or replace the inflator after removing foam. Campaign 17V-002 covers certain 2013-2017 Q5 vehicles with 2.0L Turbo FSI engines where an electric coolant pump can overheat if blocked; dealers update software to cut pump power if blocked.

Compare

Next year 2013 Audi Q5 See every Audi Q5 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Audi Q5 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2012 Audi Q5?

The complaints owners file most often name Structure (2 of 4), then Air bags (1) and Engine (1).

Is the 2012 Audi Q5 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Q5 has 92 complaints, 7 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Audi Q5 been recalled?

The 2012 Audi Q5 has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Audi Q5?

Owners have filed 4 complaints about the 2012 Audi Q5 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Audi Q5 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Audi Q5 is 21 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2019 Audi Q5?

FY Q5 generation (2018-on).

What oil does a recent Audi Q5 take?

FY US notes commonly list 0W-20 full synthetic; earlier 8R 2.0T fills often list 5W-30—confirm the VW/Audi oil standard in the manual.

What tire sizes does an Audi Q5 use?

Common US fits span about 235/60R18 to 255/45R20 depending on trim.